SINGAPORE, 25 October 2021 — The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore today released its new report ‘A New Treaty on Plastic Pollution: Perspectives from Asia’ that shows how a new global treaty on marine plastic pollution will benefit Singapore and the region, with viable solutions for Asian countries to adopt to tackle the global plastic pollution crisis.
As Singapore focuses on sustainable development with the Green Plan 20301, the report highlights that Asian countries can implement viable solutions such as adopting national reduction targets, introducing legislation to phase out single-use plastic products and implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes. The report further reveals how countries across Asia, particularly developing countries, can benefit from a new global treaty through improved access to financial resources, technical assistance, access to know-how on plastic waste management, and knowledge sharing on the methodologies for monitoring and reporting.
“Marine plastic pollution remains high despite regional efforts to address the issue. A global treaty could overcome Asia’s challenges such as a lack of data along the plastics life-cycle, knowledge gaps, insufficient monitoring, ineffective plastic waste management and lack of access to financial resources and technology. With the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA5.2) taking place in 2022, it is critical for Asian countries to actively engage in the international debate and ensure the adoption of a negotiation mandate at UNEA5.2”, says Dr Alison Budden, Senior Policy Advisor at WWF-Singapore.
A number of Asian countries such as Japan, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam have endorsed the need for the establishment of a new UN treaty on plastic pollution to be negotiated at the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly in February 2022.2
WWF is calling on governments to come together and endorse a globally binding agreement on marine #PlasticPollution. Join us in calling for government action by signing our petition: panda.org/plastics.
Read the full regional plastic report at https://wwf.org.ph/what-we-do/plastics/a-new-treaty-on-plastic-pollution-perspectives-from-asia/
This report was commissioned by WWF and delivered by a consortium of technical partners: Heidi Stockhaus, Anurodh Sachdeva, Stephan Sina and Emma Bolopion (Ecologic Institute), Genee Mislang (Alternative Law Groups), Jackie Espenilla and Therese (Niner) Guiao (Institute of International Legal Studies, University of the Philippines Law Center), Linda Yanti Sulistiawati (Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law, National University of Singapore) and Naporn Popattanachai (The Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Law, Faculty of Law, Thammasat University).
1 Singapore Government. 2021. Singapore Green Plan 2030. Available at: https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/2 https://plasticdeclaration.aosis.org/
https://ministerialconferenceonmarinelitter.com/ENDORSEMENTS
For more information, please contact:
| Jolene Lim, Senior Executive External Communications, WWF-Singapore jlim@wwf.sg, +65 8163 5793 | Hazel Xu, Manager External Communications, WWF-Singapore hxu@wwf.sg, +65 9452 6803 |
About WWF-Singapore
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
As one of WWF’s international hubs, WWF-Singapore supports a global network spanning over 100 countries. We work to meet key conservation goals, such as deforestation, haze pollution, food security, sustainable finance, sustainable consumption and illegal wildlife trade. For more information, visit wwf.sg.
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